This invention relates to the art of vacuum cleaner devices and more particularly to a hand vacuum cleaner.
The invention is particularly applicable as a device for suction cleaning items and places where conventional larger sized vacuums are inconvenient and, more particularly, where a hand held vacuum with a revolving brush that provides a vibrating and sweeping action is particularly advantageous.
Various forms and types of hand vacuums have heretofore been suggested and employed for both commercial and domestic use, all with varying degrees of success. It has been found that these prior hand vacuums have suffered from a variety of problems which limit their practical and economic value.
A principal problem with these prior art devices is that in order to obtain powerful suction with a revolving brush the hand vacuums have been relatively heavy since they have typically been constructed of a metal casing to support a powerful suction motor and absorb the vibrations of a revolving brush. In addition, it has been found that a metal casing has been necessary to withstand the forces of impinging articles against the casing walls which have been propelled against the walls by the cleaner during operation. Mere lightweight plastic materials have been unable to withstand the forces of such impinging articles over a period of time without risk of damage to the casing itself, or, at worst, propelling an item out from a broken casing towards an operator of the cleaner.
Another common problem with hand held vacuum cleaners is the provision of a convenient yet effective means for sealing a dirt and soil collecting bag to the cleaner housing. It is important that the bag may be easily separable from the cleaner for emptying, but it is also important that a dust tight seal be made upon reattachment of the bag to the cleaner and that such dust tight seal must be capable of being maintained over a large number of operations of removal and reattachment of the bag. Most conventional type hand vacuum cleaners which merely use an elastomeric gasket in combination with a mechanical camming device to seal the bag to the vacuum housing have been unsuccessful over a period of time due to deformation of the gasket and mechanical relaxation of the camming parts. As dust leaks from such a hand vacuum during operation, it is particularly noticeable to an operator and accordingly, a most unattractive and undesirable type of cleaner failure.
Another problem with prior hand held vacuum cleaner designs, and particularly those including a revolving brush in the cleaner nozzle, is the provision of an efficient means of translating the torque forces from the motor to the fan and revolving brush while minimizing vibration to the housing and bearing elements and to maintain these elements in the assembly in a secure manner. Typically, prior art designs have employed mechanical fastening devices which have not only added weight to the construction, but are still susceptible to loosening due to the vibrational forces of the cleaner.
Yet another problem with prior hand held vacuum cleaner designs has been the disadvantages associated with cooling the vacuum motor with working air laden with dirt and dust particles. Due to the desirability of keeping a hand vacuum as compact as possible, problems have developed in designing a cooling air flow path which could be segregated from the working air.
Yet another problem with hand held vacuum cleaners due to their compactness has been the interference of objects drawn in by the working air with the vacuum fan after the particles have been collected into the vacuum bag when they are not inhibited from rolling back to the fan after the cleaner has been turned off. This is a particular problem in hand held vacuum cleaners where the cleaners are operated in a variety of different positions and situations and it is likely for gravitational forces to urge solid objects back towards the nozzle of the cleaner.
The present invention contemplates a new and improved hand vacuum cleaner which overcomes all the above referred to problems and others to provide a new hand vacuum which is simple in design, economical to manufacture, compact and lightweight, but provides powerful suction action with a revolving brush, readily adaptable to a plurality of uses in a variety of cleaning situations, easy to assemble, easy to operate, easy to detach, empty and reattach the cleaner bag and which provides improved hand vacuum cleaner operation.